Roasted Balsamic Bacon Brussels Sprouts are an easy and flavorful side dish perfect for a weekday family dinner or a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meal.
Brussels sprouts, much like beets, are a vegetable that I never even tried until well into my adult years. Now, every time I eat them I seem to love them more and more. Now, don’t get me wrong. Put a plate of boiled Brussels sprouts in front of me and I will likely gag, but deep fry them, smother them with cheese, or cook them with a wonderful smoked meat like bacon and I’m a happy girl.
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I decided to partially bake the bacon first because I simply can’t stand bacon when the fat hasn’t been completely rendered. Along those same lines, I didn’t want to scorch the heck out of my sprouts in order to get the bacon to the proper doneness. This method proved to work perfectly.
Doesn’t that just make you feel more comfortable knowing that the bacon is already well on its way to perfection by the time you mix it with the raw sprouts? I know it gave me the warm and fuzzies.
By the way, do you call them brussel sprouts or Brussels Sprouts? I admittedly had to turn to the internet to explain it to me, because I didn’t want to look like a total dummy by forever immortalize my lack of knowledge by spelling it wrong on my photos. Don’t my roasted brussels with bacon look yummy? Now imagine how good they were with that balsamic reduction drizzled on top. YUM!
- 8 ounces bacon, chopped
- 1.5 pounds brussel sprouts, outer leaves removed and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper, as desired
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add chopped bacon pieces to baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.
- While bacon is cooking, toss Brussels sprouts in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. After 15 minutes of cooking, remove bacon from oven and add Brussels sprouts to the baking sheet. Toss with the bacon and continue cooking for 30-40 additional minutes until the sprouts are golden brown.
- While the bacon and sprouts are cooking, heat balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half.
- When sprouts and bacon are done, remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Cover with reduced balsamic and serve hot.
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